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PRE FA G E 



AFTER three years service under the Plant Bureau of the U. S. 
Department of Agriculture, during which time I was 
employed visiting farmers, on their own farms, for the purpose of 
interesting them in the best methods adapted to their circumstan- 
ces, soil and climate, I have concluded to try to satisfy the oft 
expressed wish for a brief treatise on Alfalfa which may serve as 
a reference book in which the busy farmer may readily find a 
guide to each contingency as it develops. 

Since men differ, and soils on adjoining farms may differ 
greatly, and no two seasons are alike, the plans and advice given 
in the following pages must necessarily be of general application. 
And while more attention is given to that part of the U. S. lying 
West of the Mississippi river, sufficient attention to the require- 
ments of the plant will insure success in any part of the known 
world where plants of a similar nature are found growing wild. 

The Author 



Copyright 1913 by 
J. A. MARSH 



JAN 12 1914 



A L F 7\ L F 7\ 



Alfalfa is our most important forage plant, and belongs to a 
group which enables the farmer to draw on the atmosphere for 
one of the indispensible elements which enter into the life and 
growth of all vegetation— nitrogen. 

Since the practical, every-day farmer knows little of, and 
cares less for the past history of the various crops he grows, and 
is more interested in learning how best to prepare for, handle and 
care for them, a few passing remarks concerning the history and 
probable past of alfalfa should suffice. 

We may assume that as this plant has the power to draw 
independent of the soil from which it grows, a large portion of its 
most necessary food, it requires no great stretch of the imagina- 
tion then, to believe that it was one of the earliest forms of plant 
life to spring from the face of a scarred and naked planet just 
emerging from chaos into creation. And while it was known and 
mentioned by historians of old, on account of the habits of earlier 
man, was not utilized except in its native habitat. As his knowl- 
edge of desirable grazing localities advanced, note was taken of 
the various plants, and measurable credit given many of those 
having the greatest economical value as food for man and his herds 
of domesticated animals. Slowly the grains were recognized and 
improved. Slower yet the grasses and other forage plants were 
classified and improved through selection and cultivation. And 
yet, through the dim vistas of past ages up to less than fifty years 
ago the world at large knew little of the enormous value of alfalfa 
as a food for livestock and even less of its adaptability to a wide 
and ever extending scope of country with varying conditions of 
climate and soil. 

In 1858 the writer first became acquainted with this plant 
under the name of "Lucerne." Seeds of which were procured 
through the United States Department of Agriculture, or what 
has since developed into a Department. Plants of wonderful size, 
and beauty of form and foliage, were grown from these seeds, but 
so little was then known of its value and use, it was left to the 
tender mercy of weeds and grass, and the discriminating taste 



of both wild and domestic animals, and the untaught consideration 
of the pioneer farmer, who must needs grow corn or wheat, or 
live without bread. However, several plants, protected by stumps 
or rocks, lived and thrived for many years; objects both of curi- 
ousity and beauty for the whole community. We may liken the 
past of alfalfa to that of the Lost Tribe of Israel, only that alfalfa 
has been rediscovered — in a new world. 

Varieties. 

Naturally there are many varieties of alfalfa, all of which are 
procurable and none of which are better than the best that can 
now be found within the bounds of all the western states of 
America. Alfalfa like other crops may become acclimated, or 
adapt itself to the soil and climate where it has been grown for 
a term of years. For that reason, beginners or those who wish to 
purchase seed, are advised to use home-grown seed, produced and 
sold by reliable farmers who have made a success of the business, 
thus avoiding adulteration and the introduction of noxious weeds, 
insects and disease. Just as many of our best forage plants, 
grains and fruits were introduced from far distant regions of the 
old world, so also, are some of our most undesirable animal pests, 
as well as insects, weeds and other plagues. 

Alfalfa Soils. 

Sowing alfalfa seed on lands adapted to its needs, is like build- 
ing for all time. So the seed in the one case is of equal importance 
with the material in the other; therefore the great importance of 
procuring seed grown as near as may be to your own locality. Much 
land its natural state is not adapted to the profitable production 
of this crop; yet it is possible, and often practical, to remedy ex- 
isting defects in the soil. Liming and under-draining will work 
wonders with flat, wet or sour soil. Crushed limestone, and not 
quick lime, should be used. The use of caustic lime on the soil 
will neutralize the acid condition more promptly than carbonate of 
lime, but if used in excess of the actual need will also destroy 
vegetable matter, liberating into the air the identical element, 
"nitrogen," which is most needed to secure a vigorous growth of 
plants. On light, sandy soils, in addition to some form of lime, 
it is always advisable to use all available vegetable matter in the 
shape of manure, weeds, trash and other refuse of vegetable or 



animal origin. However, it must be understood that in order to 
get immediate benefit of fertilizer in general, it is necessary that 
it be finely divided and thoroughly mixed with the soil. To apply 
and plow under manure in chunks or trash in layers in most cases 
and especially in regions of light rain fall, will result in a partial 
or total failure of the crop following. Soils with hard pan near 
enough the surface to be reached, may be rendered fit by the use 
of the subsoil plow for a time. Hardpan, or shale, may also be 
broken up by the use of dynamite. Subsoiling, and especially 
dynamiting is expensive, and in some soils the effect of either is 
short lived, since the soil returns to its former condition after a 
lapse of three or four years. 

After years of observation and experience, a close observer 
will arrive at conclusions which may be termed his ideal as to soil 
and condition which should invariably lead to success in growing 
alfalfa. As to soil, the writer prefers bottom land, grading from 
heavy, fertile sandy loam to heavy clay, fairly compact as to sur- 
face, and of medium fine particles, growing more open and coarsely 
porous to a depth of ten feet or more, and better if thirty feet, 
coarse enough to allow water to drain freely to lower depths, and 
fine enough to conduct by capillarity, moisture as needed from be- 
low; no free soil water, at any time, nearer than ten feet of the 
surface, and free water at all times, within twenty feet of the sur- 
face. While this, my ideal, is rather exacting, and beyond the 
reach of most of us, we may yet, by careful examination find much 
land meeting these specifications nearly enough to insure good 
crops under ordinary conditions, as witnessed by the eminent suc- 
cess of thousands of farmers all over the United States and else- 
where, few of whom have soil described above as "ideal." 

Inoculation. 

Little need be said about inoculation of the soil with the 
nitrogen-gathering microbe, which is a probable parasite, feeding 
on the roots of the plant, causing nodules; because all soils in the 
western states fit, or, which by drainage or otherwise may be 
made fit for alfalfa, will, without our aid, become inoculated with 
this little boarder who pays such a handsome profit for what he 
eats. That characteristic and very common occurrence in the 
western states, known as "dust storms," may be his means of 



locomotion, and account for his wide distribution over the great 
region of plains country, where real estate, regardless of value, 
sometimes gets high. 

Where inoculation seems necessary, soil procured from a field 
where alfalfa is a success may be used and sown with the seed or 
drilled separately. One bushel per acre more or less should serve. 

Preparation of Seed Bed. 

In the preparation of the seed bed for alfalfa, it should be 
more generally understood, that, not only alfalfa, but all other 
plants germinate and grow afterwards with greater rapidity if 
planted in a firm seed bed, and that any plowing, in the prepara- 
tion for any crop, to be of value to that crop, under any ordinary 
circumstances, is done for the purpose of mixing and stirring the 
soil, and in no case to loosen it. So then if you cannot repack it 
firmly back to the subsoil from which it has been separated by the 
plow, you are advised not to plow it at all. This is not intended to 
convey the idea that plowing may not be beneficial, but rather that 
plowing when left loose below, is most sure to prove a detriment. 
The writer is decidedly in favor of plowing, and has no fear that 
the reader may plow too deep, but insists that the land should be 
plowed only when in such condition, as to moisture, that a good 
job may be done; and further insists that at least each half-day, in 
windy weather, all the fresh plowed land should be repacked back 
to the subsoil practically as closely as it was before plowing, leav- 
ing from one to one inch and a half of the surface loose, so that 
the least possible portion of the soil moisture may escape, and to 
form a loose earth mulch below which the seeds may be placed, to 
protect them from the drying action of sun and wind, until they 
have germinated. 

As to plows, I prefer the mould board, or turning plow, be- 
cause it buries weed seed below the germinating zone. For re- 
packing the freshly plowed soil, no tool can excel the common 
disc, set straight, with from five to eight hundred pounds of 
weight on it. In any case this discing should be repeated until the 
soil is firm with no bridged-over air spaces below. A good plan by 
which we may be sure that our subpacking is thorough, is to take 
a very sharp spade, use a striking motion to get down through the 
surface soil without disturbing the surrounding soil; shave away 



until the subsoil is reached, observing as we progress, that no air 
spaces show, and that the feel on pressing the fingers into the 
earth, shows that it is firm. It is advisable to use a spike-toothed 
harrow with the teeth set at an angle of forty-five degrees, first 
after the plow for the purpose of smoothing the surface, but in no 
case should the harrow be used as a drag with the teeth flat. In 
fact it is very wrong to use a drag of any kind, and a roller is 
equally objectionable. The surface soil should be loose and grainy. 
The drag would reduce it to too fine particles or even to dust, and 
and the roller would pack it at the surface, both of which condi- 
tions will often prove fatal to the stand in case of either beating 
rains or high wind, if they occur before the seeds have germinated 
or while the plants are very small and tender. 

It is generally recognized that all plowing for whatever crop, 
should have been done for a sufficient length of time before the 
season for planting arrives, to allow the soil to become firm through 
the action of soaking rains, and, generally speaking, that is the 
cheaper and, for that reason, the better plan. Yet for all practical 
purposes, when it is deemed necessary to plow just before plant- 
ing, we may secure equally as good results if the preparation is 
thoroughly finished, as before advised. There are frequent cases, 
however, in which plowing is not at all necessary, and still others 
where plowing is not advisable. For instance, where alfalfa is to 
follow corn or other crops, which have had clean cultivation, and 
the surface is level, the stalks may be removed and the surface 
scratched with a spike-toothed harrow set at near perpendicular to 
form a loose earth mulch to a depth of from one to one inch and a 
half, for the purpose as above stated. Also on sandy soils, where 
the problem is to prevent drifting, alfalfa may best be sown with- 
out plowing, following cowpeas, which have not been removed, 
except in part, by pasturing, so that sufficient stubble and vine yet 
remain to prevent blowing. The writer "has observed successful 
stands where the seed were sown on land without any previous 
preparation, where a crop of crabgrass hay had been removed, 
and even on cane stubble. However, success in such cases is 
rather rare. Not because of lack of preparation, but because first, 
light sandy land is not adapted to alfalfa; second because neither 
crabgrass nor sorghum are proper crops to precede alfalfa, from 
the fact that both leave the soil in poor physical condition and 

8 



often in a wrong chemical state, or acid, rendering bacterial life, 
of the nitrogen gathering variety, impossible. True, this souring 
may be remedied by the application or some form of lime, and that 
part of the objection to these crops overcome, and a fair growth 
of alfalfa secured. Generally, lime, and often phosphorus, are 
lacking in light, sandy soils. So when the plants are observed to 
be making poor growth, we should either abandon the attempt to 
grow alfalfa on such soils, or else apply the elements which are 
found wanting. My reason for devoting so much space to this 
type of soil is that there are so many farmers living on, and farm- 
ing such land, who appreciate the value of this greatest of forage, 
and earnestly desire to grow it for their, own use. And further, a 
few tons of limestone with the addition of phosphorus and potash 
and manure will not only render sandy land fit for alfalfa, but 
equally advance its value for any other crop and discourage the 
growth of crabgrass and other creeping weeds. 

Seeding. 

Unfortunately this operation has been surrounded by would-be 
writers with mystery, out of all proportion, since it is, in truth, 
just as simple as the very ordinary act of sowing radish seeds. 
We should divest our minds of all this accumulated rubbish, mys- 
tery and other things which we have learned that are not true, 
and approach this subject free from all pre-conceived ideas and 
prejudices. If we will do so, we may at once discover in the light 
of reason, how like the seeding of alfalfa is to the seeding of any 
other crop, and how modest and simple its wants really are. We 
may broadcast by hand, we may use a cyclone seeder, or a wheel- 
barrow seeder, or a wheat drill of most any make, or one with an 
attachment for the purpose. Indeed one successful grower said, 
after preparing his land as I have herein described, he needed only 
to haul a hayrack load of unthreshed seed back and forth across 
his field. Whereupon another scoffer at all this mystery, declared 
that he needed neither team nor wagon, all he needed to do, was 
to walk across back and forth at the same time shaking some of 
the "hay seed" out of his hair, and I suspect there were good 
brains under that crop of seedy hair. 



Amount of Seed Per Acre. 

My ideal method calls for a seeder attachment on an old- 
fashioned shoe drill with one or two links of chain dragging behind 
each shoe. My reasons for this are that we may know just how 
much to the acre we are sowing. We are depositing the seed be- 
neath the loose earth mulch, onto, and in direct contact with firm 
soil, and therefore we waste no seed, as all should grow if we have 
the necessary moisture. And now we come to deal with more 
''legendary lore" that is too ridiculous to command the respect of 
an amateur prevaricator. If we stop to consider the number of 
alfalfa seeds it takes to weigh one pound, we may see that if all 
are well distributed and all grow, they will cover one acre with 
all the plants needed to use to the best advantage all the moisture 
and available food and space at their disposal, making a complete 
stand. But on account of their diminutive size, more in proportion 
to larger seeds like corn, are likely to be too deep, too shallow, or 
to be destroyed by the elements, insects or birds. So then, I ad- 
vise generosity in their use, and give all the agents of destruction 
two, four, seven, or even as much as nine pounds per acre, accord- 
ing to the manner of sowing. For instance, if sown by hand, ten 
pounds, cyclone seeder, eight pounds, wheel barrow, about the 
same, ordinary wheat drill with trash or bran to make the machine 
feed less, five to eight pounds, and with the attachment on drill, 
three and one-half to five pounds, per acre. 

And here let us reason once more together, in this wise. Each 
of these little tender nurslings is calling for the same food at the 
same time; if the Mother Earth cannot supply the urgent demand 
when they need it, and in the proper quantity, there is sure to be 
infant mortality. Now since we have sown probably, fifteen or 
twenty pounds per acre, enough for from fifteen to twenty stands if 
they all grow, we reason that we can afford to have a large per cent 
of these little plants crowded out, and still have plenty left and to 
spare. But here is where we are short sighted. We are depend- 
ing on that cruelly beneficent law of nature, through which the 
fittest are allowed to survive, and forget that the whole operation 
has not been left to wise old Mother Nature. We forget that na- 
ture has been aided by the bungling hand of man. We forget that 
a seed bed adapted to induce rapid and complete germination has 

10 



been artificially prepared, thus forcing an undue call on nature for 
which there is no law. The result is, all, or practically all the 
plants, are alike, and at the same stage of dependence, and if one 
dies, the same cause cuts short the career of all, in spots at least. 
Consequently we have a spotted stand, which means, simply, no 
stand, so far as practical results go. The writer can cite you nu- 
merous cases to prove there is lavish waste of seed and criminal 
ignorance on every hand, in this matter; which reminds one of the 
city bred man and his wife who moved back to the land; he to 
raise porkers; she chickens. Mrs. City-bred bought a hen and 
forty little chicks which the hen mothered and fairly spread her- 
self to hover, and they being properly fed, all thrived. Seeing 
which, Mr. City-bred bought a'sow and added to her litter of eight 
pigs, thirty-two more little pigs. The chickens all thrived and the 
pigs all died. So these City-bred folks decided that chickens and 
pigs are different. 

Depth of Govering the Seed. 

The depth to which seed may be covered is as varying as the 
climate, time of seeding and the soil. 

Early sowings should invariably be covered very shallow in a 
dry climate or not at all in a moist climate. Later seedings in a 
a dry and windy climate may be covered full two inches deep. The 
dryer climates and the lighter soils require deeper covering at 
any given date of sowing, and if it be found necessary to cover 
deeply, no chain, drags or press wheels should be used behind the 
drill. A fairly good rule which applies in a moist climate is to 
cover any seed planted with a layer of soil equal in thickness to two 
of the seeds to be covered. In all cases well matured seeds will be 
able to penetrate the soil from greater depth than poor or imma- 
ture seeds. When using a drill for sowing small seeds it is always 
advisable if the surface soil is loose, to remove the springs and 
let the discs run only as deep as their own weight will force them. 

In this connection I wish to call the attention of the reader to 
the fact that alfalfa has already proved itself adapted to as widely 
varying conditions of climate and soil as any other crop or plant 
known. It will survive the fierce heat of southern California and 
the the extreme cold of North Dakota. It will grow at the level of 
the ocean or ten thousand feet above. It will produce a crop of 

11 



hay or seed where the rainfall is less than twenty inches per annum 
or several crops where more than six feet of water falls from the 
heavens. It will grow anywhere or nowhere according to the man. 
It will grow for one farmer and refuse to grow for his neighbor. 
This suggests that there may be more in the man than in any 
known combination of soil, climate or crop. 

Nurse Grops. 

The idea of sowing some other plants with alfalfa for the pur- 
pose of nursing or protecting the young plants from the rigors and 
other dangers incident to all infant life is a beautiful theory 
prompted by a generous and kindly heart. But it savors very much 
of the old idea of hardening children by exposing them to incle- 
ment weather and the dangers of undesirable associates in the 
belief that if they survive the ane and prove superior to the de- 
grading influence of the other, they eventually prove worthy 
citizens. The writer is of the opinion that nature has provided 
weeds and grass sufficient to nurse the tender alfalfa plants if 
they need a nurse crop and that children may be relied on to find, 
without the aid of elders, all the rough corners of this life in na- 
ture, and all the perverted morals in man that could be of possible 
use in a well spent life. And also if the alfalfa survives, it does it 
in spite of the disadvantages of weeds, grass, and alleged nurse 
crops. Late fall sown alfalfa may be benefited by protection from 
extreme cold and high winds which often drift the soil by a dead 
nurse crop such as millet which may be sown for that purpose and 
which will be killed by the first freeze, otherwise the writer can- 
not endorse the "nurse crop" idea. 

Failure" -Reasons For. 

There are many causes to which failure to secure an even and 
a perfect stand of alfalfa may be attributed. I should say that 
the cause of most failures is due to a lack of knowledge of the 
adaptability of the soil for that crop, or if adapted, how to prepare 
the seed bed. Among others, I may mention too much seed, lack 
of moisture while plants are young, grass and weeds; too late fall 
seeding and consequent loss by freezing; over pasturing; drowning 
through lack of drainage; seed grown under irrigation sown on 
nonirrigated land, or from too far north where no long hot dry 
spells occur, or, from too far east, where the rain fall is greater 

12 



and better distributed over the season, or too far south where win- 
ters are mild. These last, come under the head of acclimated seed, 
and last but not least, poor or adulterated seed, which is expensive 
even if given to you, with a chromo thrown in for good measure. 

(Slipping. 

Many failures are also due to a lack of knowledge or judgment 
in clipping the young alfalfa the first time. In this case unfortun- 
ately, I feel unable to guide the novice, or the erring, to assured 
safety, on account of such varied contingencies as may present 
themselves. Yet I may, without presumtion, offer some advice, 
which may help to guide a close observer. Most frequent and 
grievous is the mistake of the man who has a new mower and 
wants to try it on something. Or the neat and tidy, nervous, 
farmer who cannot bear the sight of grass, and weeds, thriving 
where he wants alfalfa, apparently blotting out his hopes of se- 
curing a stand on that laborously prepared and once clean field. 
Instead of waiting until the grass is headed out, and the weeds 
have become sufficiently woody at the crown to prevent further 
sprouting from the stubs, both of these men, unless powerfully 
restrained, will sail in and clip the alfalfa, grass and weeds from 
ten days to two weeks too early. This will prove fatal to the most 
perfect and promising stand, if followed by an extended period of 
dry weather during the first season. The reason for this failure is 
in the fact that the weeds cut when tender, sprout from the stub- 
ble about as readily as alfalfa, but unlike the sprouts from alfalfa, 
they do not usually grow upright; so that when an effort is made 
to clip them thereafter, they escape the knife, and continue to 
grow all summer, robbing the alfalfa, which has to fight an un- 
equal battle with both mower and weeds. In the case of grass, 
and especially crabgrass, the clipping away the taller weeds and 
alfalfa, gives it sun and air, and while a few of the upright blades 
and stems may be clipped off, that only encourages it to grow in 
the way nature intended it should; viz., clothe the earth with 
green tights, and it needs no better care to help it fill its mission. 
Weeds of upright habits of growth are no particular menace to a 
stand of alfalfa, if caution and watchful care is used so that they 
may be clipped at the proper stage of development, or immediate- 
ly after the lower stems have become too woody to allow of a sec- 

13 



ond growth of sprouts. Often it is necessary to allow sunflowers 
and other varities to stand until there is doubt about being able to 
cut them with a mower, and even until the alfalfa seems to be 
about smothered out. Usually it is best to let the weeds lie as they 
fall. Yet I have seen cases where the growth clipped made too 
heavy covering and smothered the alfalfa out. With low-growing 
or creeping weeds and grass, the proposition is quite serious; and 
I hesitate to offer hope of securing a stand of alfalfa on land mat- 
ted with either. If the subsoil is full of moisture, and the alfalfa 
plants have a good color, and are growing freely, I should let it 
fight it out; otherwise, it should be turned under before the weeds 
and grass mature seed. In this connection it might be well to 
state that soils well adapted to the growth of crabgrass, are not 
well adapted to alfalfa, not because of the presence of the grass, 
but rather because the elements needed for the best development 
of one are not adapted to the best or greatest development of the 
other. So there are two reasons why these plants should not be 
found together in the same field. 

Time For Seeding. 

The time when nature does her seeding, unaided by the hand 
of man, should in a measure, guide us. If left in a state of nature, 
alfalfa matures seed from July to November, and most seeds 
which come in contact with the soil under proper conditions as to 
moisture, usually germinate promptly, and as promptly fall a prey 
to insects, or the crowding and shading of other plants. Seeds 
continue to drop from the pods and if moisture sufficient be pres- 
ent, germinate, until winter. Most of these plants, however, fail 
to survive the winter because of unfavorable conditions, which 
render it difficult for these young plants to become thoroughly 
established .But a large per cent of seed failing to come in contact 
with the moist earth, or at least not for sufficient time to cause 
germination, arrive safely, with unimpaired vitality, to the dor- 
mant season, or winter, during which winds, rains and snows, and 
the freezing and thawing of the earth, insects, and the trampling 
of animals, all conspire to bring them into intimate contact with 
Mother Earth, to awaken at the first breath of spring. I say at 
the first breath of spring advisedly. As may be seen by a most 
casual observation, alfalfa seed germinates as early as the most 

14 



hardy weeds to be found in any climate. They not only germinate, 
they live, in spite of oft recurring freezes. Wherever you find the 
hardiest weeds surviving you may also find alfalfa. Having ob- 
served this, and having experimented with many of the cold re- 
sistant weeds, grains, clover and alfalfa, I have arrived at the 
conclusion that alfalfa is one of the most hardy plants with which 
we deal. The one limiting factor is moisture, as is also the case 
with all other plants, none of which, not excepting wheat, can 
stand an unusual degree of cold when the earth is dry. So then, 
trial was made to prove the reliability of this conclusion, and seeds 
of various hardy plants, including wheat, oats, lambsquarter, sun- 
flower, red and white clover, and alfalfa were observed during 
November, December, January, February and March, most of 
which when sown in early December germinated, the sunflower 
and lambsquarter, remaining dormant. Almost all the seeds that 
germinated perished during a dry windy February. Now and then 
a plant of every variety survived when protected by rubbish. 
While that sown later practically all survived where germination 
occurred about February 20th, and all passed successfully through 
several freezes. I find that all hardy plants germinating during 
February usually survive any freeze which is likely to occur at 
that season in Oklahoma if the roots are surrounded with proper- 
ly moist soil. Summing up my experience and observation along 
this line I find it usually safe to sow alfalfa at any time after Dec- 
ember 15th in Oklahoma if I have all possible necessary moisture. 
Otherwise, I should wait until the last of February or the first of 
March, or later further north. But for all practical purposes, and 
for the very best prospects of success in this part of Oklahoma, 
(Kingfisher County), I advise sowing on the later dates, namely, 
last of February or first of March. A few days, eight or ten, 
either way should not make any material difference. 

Perhaps it may interest the reader to have here a recapitula- 
tion of my reasons for preferring to sow alfalfa as above advised. 
Early fall seeding is exposed to numerous insect depredations, 
notable among which are webworms and grasshoppers. Late fall 
seeding is very liable to perish during a cold dry winter, while the 
early spring seeding has the advantage of all the annual grass 
family and even fight with annual weeds, besides having time to 
become well rooted before the violent rain storms which usually 

15 



occur in May and June and which prove so destructive to the later 
sown alfalfa. And then besides the greater probability of secur- 
ing a stand from early sowing, we have with it, practically an 
equal show of securing a crop or two the first season, as with fall 
sowing. As a guide to those of my readers who wish to follow my 
suggestions and sow early, and yet do not live at the same altitude 
and latitude, all that is necessary, is to watch the germination of 
hardy weeds in garden and field. Having our land prepared and 
our seed ready we may safely proceed to sow alfalfa as soon as 
weeds begin to show above ground on soil which has not been dis- 
turbed and where the weed seeds have been sown by the hand of 
nature. 

Pasturing. 

And now having a stand of alfalfa, well established, the time 
has arrived to dispose of the crop to the best advantage. For 
many reasons, some of which I hope to treat at greater length un- 
der the proper subdivision, there is no doubt that the greatest val- 
ue of this crop may be secured by using it to feed and grow live- 
stock on the farm. Then we may consider various ways of utiliz- 
ing the crop as a feed. And as all animals prefer to choose when, 
where and what they shall eat, and as the immediate effort on the 
part of the owner, as well as the expense, is materially lessened, 
it is very desirable to utilize at least a portion of our alfalfa fields 
as pasture. And here we meet with a popular misconception of 
the ability of alfalfa to stand pasturing, many writers claiming 
that alfalfa is not a pasture crop. Now while we are well aware 
that alfalfa on unsuitable soil where it may be able to eke out a 
bare existance only, is worthless, as a pasture, if we stop to con- 
sider, we also know that any grass or other forage plant growing 
or attempting to grow on land not suited to its needs, is also not 
capable of furnishing pasture of value. But given a field of alfal- 
fa, on soil adapted to its needs, and moisture to fill its demands, 
no other forage plant or grass common in this region can compare 
with it in the amount and value per acre as a pasture. Horses, 
hogs, chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks may have the run of the 
fields during three-fourths of the year. The only times when al- 
falfa should not be pastured are: first, when starting its spring 
growth and second, when it is frozen. Early spring pasturing is 

16 



just as hard on alfalfa as it has proved to be on any other pasture, 
forage or grass. Any plant nipped off in the early stages of its 
first spring growth, alfalfa, or any other perennial is stunted for 
the season, and all annuals are damaged for life. 

As a guide to follow and insure the greatest profitable return, 
and at the same time not injure the crop or grass to be pastured, 
regardless of what or where it is, in no case should it be pastured 
so closely that sufficient may not be left for harvesting at the reg- 
ular time and in the same manner as would happen if it were not 
pastured at all. However, alfalfa like some other forage plants 
and weeds may not safely be pastured by cows, sheep, and proba- 
bly goats at all stages of development and conditions of weather, 
on account of its tendency to cause the formation of gas in the 
stomach, which often results fatally to the animal. Just why a 
cow feeding on green alfalfa or other forage, may bloat and die 
within an hour, or may live to eat same food possibly, for two or 
three years, and then suddenly die, has not yet been satisfactorily 
explained to the writer. As a rule worthy of note, pasturing any 
ruminating animal on thriftily growing alfalfa, is hazardous, and 
in average cases under the writer's observation has proved un- 
profitable. 

However, this is not intended to convey the idea that alfalfa 
may not be pastured by ruminants, or animals which chew the 
"cud", under all conditions. When the plants are mature, well 
past full bloom, and are not sappy, there seems to be no further 
danger of bloat, even though the animal may eat its fill, and at 
any time of day or conditions of weather. Then again, there seems 
little danger, regardless of stage or development of the plant, rate 
of growth, or condition of weather, if the animals being pastured 
have free access, at the same time, and all the time, to a variety 
of forage plants, together with starchy grains. 

The writer has observed cases where cows having access to a 
variety of other grass and weeds known to be greatly relished by 
this discriminating animal, and well supplied with grain, both 
morning and night, were apparently free from bloat, this should 
lead us to suspect that some law of nature has been outraged; 
some condition imposed by the hand of man, in his blind attempt 
to "have dominion over every living creature'*, that does not ac- 
cord strictly with the scheme of. creation. An animal, untram- 

17 



meled by arbitrary bounds set up by man, in the shape of fences, 
roams at will, choosing food, shelter and drink, and is guided by 
an unerring instinct, which is more dependable than all the vaunt- 
ed wisdom and reason of mere man. If the reader has been de- 
nied the opportunity of observing wild animals in a state of nature 
unharried by the fear of man, he may at least have observed cases 
of outlaw samples of them, among our domestic animals, trained 
to become rogues, through lack of proper fences, until they come 
to recognize no bounds and no rights of our neighbor's property. 
He knows that such an animal seems to possess a devilish immuni- 
ty from all bodily harm from over-eating of any forbidden fruit, 
sufficient to speedily kill any ordinarly well behaved and respecta- 
ble member of its herd. Now it is not at all probable that this 
animal is possessed of a "devil", but rather, it has followed its 
natural instinct, which led it to rustle all the food, and of all the 
varieties needed to make a good, healthy and strong animal. In 
the beginning, we were granted dominion over these animals. But 
we go too far, when we arrogate to ourselves authority to say to 
them, as God said to Adam and Eve, concerning the fruit of a 
certain tree, "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest 
ye die". Indeed, we are constantly seeking by laborious and 
painstaking research, to find through artificial means, the best 
feeds and the proper proportion, and the amount, and the time, to 
give them to old Dobbin, old Bossy, Biddy, and the rest of these 
poor pensioners at our will. If we approach the question of feeds 
more directly, and simply offer our animals a variety, and a plenty 
of it, we may soon learn by that which is eaten, or is discarded, 
what the best feeds are, and also, their proper proportion for the 
best results, whether the product sought in eggs, milk, flesh, 
horsepower or offspring. A little knowledge of science, is a great 
aid. Science is based on the laws of nature, and is simply a smat- 
tering knowledge of them classified. No doubt we may yet learn 
from the cow, how she may be free from bloat, though pasturing 
growing alfalfa. We may even learn how best to feed green alfal- 
fa properly, before we learn how best to feed cured hay, simply 
because the hay may be fed in any quantity, without apparant bad 
results. Yet alfalfa hay, cut at the right stage, and properly 
cured, is really, a very concentrated feed. Its bulk fools the 
thoughtless man into the notion that it may be used as a "filler", 
like wheat or oat straw, or timothy or prairie hay. On the con- 
trary, it should be used as a "concentrate", like corn or kaffir, or 
cotton, and linseed meals. No dairyman or beef feeder can hope 
to get full value for the grains he feeds, unless he uses in combina- 
tion with them, alfalfa, or some other feed like it, rich in milk or 
flesh forming elements. And if we can grow this feed, we are in- 
deed fortunate. No other balancer of grain procurable, cost con- 
sidered, can compare with it, where it may be grown on the farm. 

18 



It is also, not only the best, but the cheapest, to feed with silage. 
Spoiled hay, if fed to milk cows may cause the milk to have a dis- 
agreeable taste and odor, but the best milk smells no better than 
properly cured alfalfa hay, and cows may be kept in full milk flow 
longer and cheaper on ground kaffir corn and alfalfa hay, than any 
other two feeds ever tried by the writer. Indeed, past experience 
seems to prove that kaffir meal is better than Indian corn meal for 
this purpose. The results of such feeding are apparent in the im- 
provement in flavor of all the products and in firmer butter. Sen- 
sational writers and calamity howlers, who are always painting 
doleful pictures showing a dearth of beef, pork, and mutton, loom- 
ing up in the near future, followed by the gaunt form of death 
from starvation, have no foundation in fact, upon which to base 
such dire predictions. On the contrary, if we should put a proper 
proportion of the land in these United States to alfalfa, and feed 
it to livestock, we would be able to feed the world with meat, and 
have milk to spare for bathing purposes, butter for axle grease 
and cheese to make a moon. 

Stage of Development to Gut for Hay. 

Like many other farm operations no hard and fast rules may 
be laid down by which we may be unerringly guided as to the ex- 
act time when it is best to cut alfalfa for hay. Some growers 
make a practice of attending to this hay crop only when other 
crops are not loud in their demands for attention, and while there 
is no crop which will smile through a period of neglect brighter 
than alfalfa, yet there is a time when it is best for the plant, as 
well as best for the value of the crop secured, at which^ it should 
be cut. The problem, is to be able to know when that time arriv- 
es. A rough outline may be marked as follows: 

For the first crop of the season, cut when the lower leaves are 
turning yellow and falling off and new sprouts springing from the 
root, crown and lower stem, regardless of whether it is in bloom or 
not. For other crops cut when about one tenth in bloom. Seasons 
differ, conditions as to heat and moisture differ, and many other 
contingencies may vary this tentative set of rules very materially. 
One season may bring the first crop to maturity full thirty days 
earlier than another. The crop for hay is mature when the feeder 
roots have gathered practically all the necessary food required by 
the plant to produce seed, and have nothing further for the time 
being to do except furnish the necessary moisture to elaborate 
that food into germs for future plants. If cut before this stage, 
it results in an injurious shock to the root system, and a conse- 
quent diminution of the following crop. Cut at the proper stage, 
when the roots have practically performed their function as to 
supply of food for the plants above them, they are in a state of 
temporary rest. In removing the practically finished plant and 

18 



the consequent drain for moisture, the roots naturally, though 
slowly, seek an outlet for any surplus food on hand, and place it 
in the buds at the crown. Though at first the reawakening life 
comes slowly, yet later under the demands of a new crop of active 
breathing leaves, the whole plant rushes with its activity accelera- 
ed and its added vitility apparent, onward, toward the goal for 
which all creation strives the fiercer, if balked or delayed in its 
first effort at reproduction. 

Drying the Hay. 
This process consists in getting rid of a large per cent of the 
moisture contained in the living plant, and it is generally conceded 
that the sooner we can accomplish this end, the better the product. 
To accomplish our purpose it is necessary that we follow the pro- 
visions of nature so far as may aid us in our object. The leaves 
being the natural vaporazor of moisture contained in the tissue of 
any plant, it follows that we should prolong the activity of their 
functions in order not to retard the escape of moisture. When 
they become dead and dry, they have no more power to draw 
moisture from the stem than if they were entirely separated from 
it. So we should protect the leaves from the drying action of sun 
and wind as long as the stems are yet sappy. When we see that 
the stems are practically drained, then, and not until then, have 
we u?ed the best means at hand to dry the hay. The fact that the 
leaves die and dry up too quickly makes it unadvisable to leave 
the hay exposed too long to the hot sun and the drying wind in the 
swath. No time can be set for raking into windrows. Con- 
ditions should govern, and the hay should be put into the wind- 
row promptly, when properly wilted. And here let us explode the 
popular fallacy which is to the effect that "Hay should never be 
cut when wet with dew or rain", for which there is no foundation 
in fact. On the other hand there is no better time to run a mower 
through a heavy stand of alfalfa. The moisture from the dew or 
rain keeps the knife clean and free, reducing the draft and the 
wear and tear on team and tool, Besides, the globules of adhering 
moisture protects the leaves from too fast drying, thus prolonging 
their natural functions, and hastening the process of getting rid 
of the moisture contained in the tissue of the plant. The leaves, 
or any part of the plant, will not absorb any appreciable amount of 
moisture, so long as they are actively performing their natural 
functions; therefore, not until the plant is dead, is there any 
excuse for avoiding dew or rain. If cut before fully developed, 
alfalfa like other forage crops, is very difficult to dry. An old 
rule, and a fairly good one, under most circumstances by which 
we may judge whether the hay is sufficiently dried to put up, is to 
twist a small bunch as you would wring a cloth, and if no moisture 
appears it may be stacked, or put under shelter in the barn. The 

- 20 



reader is warned, however, that in drying or curing hay, so 
many varying conditions of the atmosphere occur that what proves 
a safe rule to follow for one crop or even one day's cutting may 
utterly fail for the succeeding one. However, if you are sure the 
stems of the plants are sufficiently dry you may now proceed to 
stack or mow your hay. 

Stacking or Storing Hay. 

Now that we have our hay in the windrow, many writers and 
more farmere, especially in the eastern states, advise us that the 
next step in the procedure is to shock it. And some extremists 
insist on covering the shocks, each one, with an umbrella to keep 
the sun, rain, and dew from damaging the hay while it cures. 
This advice may apply to the farmer who has sufficient help to 
follow this exacting and expensive operation, but it is practically 
impossible on soils where alfalfa matures a crop every thirty days. 
Some crops are so heavy that the shocks, in order to be shocks, 
and not stacks, would need fifteen or twenty per cent of the field 
for room to stand on, for from five to ten days, according to the 
weather. When we consider the plants that are prevented from 
growing on account of the smothering effect of the shocks, the 
added loss from mould and possible flooding by heavy rains, the 
all but prohibitive expense for the covers, the unavoidable damage 
done the succeeding crop by men, horses, wagons, or other tools, 
turned loose on it, crushing the tender growth, together, with the 
added unavoidable useless labor and then failure in turning out a 
first class evenly cured crop of hay under such conditions, the 
plan of curing in the shock is absurd. So, without hesitation, the 
writer advises putting alfalfa hay into the stack from the wind- 
row at once, if we can. If for any reason this cannot be done 
promptly, bunch it with a horse rake temporarily, to prevent it 
from becoming too dry, to protect it from the injurious effects of 
the direct light and heat of the sun, as well as from the dew and 
rain. In any case, we should exert our best energies to get it into 
the stack or mow before it is dry, so that it may settle closely 
enough to generate heat in the curing process sufficient to prevent 
mold. Stacks should be large as is convenient, and high as will se- 
curely stand upon their foundation, and covered with any material 
at hand that will shed rain. One crop of hay properly saved may 
be worth more than half a dozen that are merely made. 

Tools Used. 

Therefore, tools adapted to the quick handling of this crop are 
advisable, even though we have no more than twenty-five or thirty 
1 3ns of hay, especially if it is to be stacked, because a stack put up 
by hand soon settles down until it is a mere blot on the face of 

21 



nature, with so large a portion of the contents exposed to the 
elements that it is soon a blackened, moldy mass of refuse, fit only 
to use as a fertilizer, having lost sufficient food value, in some 
cases, to pay for a respecatble outfit of tools. The handling of a 
large hay crop cannot be accomplished economically without 
machinery, but there is a bewildering array from which to choose 
and we are in danger of spending good money for a useless tool, 
unless we understand first, what is best suited to our individual 
needs. To start with, the mower should be as large as the 
nature of the land will permit. On smooth land an eight foot 
mower is economically handled by a pair of 1500 pound horses. A 
sharp knife should replace the one in use every quarter or half 
day for hay crops, and once a day for seed crops. A steel horse 
rake for placing in the windrow is necessary, the self dump pre- 
ferred. If stacker is used a three or four wheel push rake is 
needed, and for stacker, the simplest machine, has so far proved 
most satisfactory. The overshot to which the hay is delivered by 
the push rake is one of the simplest, fastest and most satisfactory 
stackers with which the push rake only is' used. Simpler yet is 
the Derrick stacker and the Cable. The Derrick or the Cable 
stacker may take hay from a wagon by means of slings or forks. 
Tracks and forks are used to best anvantage in a barn. Besides 
we have a few tools which prove useful at times and in certain 
localities; such as the side delivery rake, the wagon loader and 
the tedder, each of which is worthless under some conditions and 
all of which may be dispensed with. The loader, however, may 
be used to advantage in filling a high barn quickly and cheaply. 
In this connection the writer suggests that eventually the silo 
may take the place of both the stack and the barn as the most 
economical place for storing, curing and protecting hay. Instead 
of putting the hay into a stack, shed or barn when it is ready to be 
taken from the field, it may be brought to the silo, run through 
the cutter as if for silage and stored in the silo. If put in in the 
right condition, no conceivable surroundings could make a better 
grade of cured hay, and no building could hold more hay in the 
same space. The silo used for this purpose should make the stor- 
age of hay a comparatively simple matter. 

G tiring. 

Hay or any plant like tobacco can be cured properly only in 
bulk, and under pressure which is sufficient to largely exclude the 
air. Moisture must be present also, else no change on account of 
bulk, pressure and exclusion of air will occur, and the result will 
be only a pile of dried plants. Curing consists in the action of 
microscopic plant life on the tissue of the material to be cured. 
The germs of these microosganiem are present in the air and on 

22 



the plants, and, given the conditions as above stated— bulk, pres- 
sure, moisture and the exclusion of air — these germs spring into 
active life, accomplishing a remarkable change in the flavor, taste, 
and digestibility of the material, at the same time generating heat, 
and throwing off the excess of moisture. Here again, conditions of 
fie atnrmphere ara so variable that intellignt observation and a 
careful study of the requirements as to the moisture content of 
the hay when stacked, or placed in the mow, should govern. A 
certain degree of heat and exclusion of air is necessary to prevent 
or kill mold. 

It has been said that there is no such thing as spoiled alfalfa 
hay, but a very casual observer would soon learn that moldy alfal- 
fa or any other kind of hay is spoiled. Mold is irritating to the 
eyes and lungs, and to a degree poisonous to the stomachs of all 
animals and should be avoided as such. 

The curing of hay is the most important operation with which 
we have to deal in this work. To convince the most skeptical of 
the truth of this statement, offer a cow or horse two bunches, one 
of cured hay and one merely dried hay, and see which will be eat- 
en first. Smell the smoke of two cigars, one of which is made of 
properly cured tobacco, and the other made of tobacco which has 
been merely air dried. The art of curing hay has not engaged the 
attention of scientists to any such extent as curing tobacco, the 
making of wines and other products, probably because the farmer 
is too independent to ask for help, while manufactures employ a 
man of science to unravel every knotty problem. Since bulk and 
pressure are both an aid in the process of curing our hay with the 
least possible mold, it follows that mows should be large and deep, 
or stacks large and as high as possible. It is advisable then to use 
machinery capable of raising the hay at least twenty feet above 
ground. 

Hay that has been bleached or otherwise damaged by dew or 
rain may regain to a degree its color and flavor in the stack or 
mow if gathered before it becomes too dry. Otherwise it should 
be placed by itself and classed as second grade. Moldy hay, if fed 
at all, should be fed out of doors, and never in a manger, because 
there is danger to both the eyes and lungs of animals eating it, 
where the dust will not be rapidly carried away by the wind. 

Value of Alfalfa Hay as a Feed. 

The writer has no means at hand by which the value of prop- 
erly cured alfalfa hay may be determined. True the chemists 
have made many analysis. Experiment stations have tried out 
the feeding value of alfalfa hay alone, and in combination with 
other feeds, and individuals by the hundreds have followed vari- 
ous plans, and all are unanimous in its* praise. Yet practically all 

23 



of these reports fail to mention the quality of the hay used, and 
even if they had, we might not know much more than at present 
because, so far, we have no generally accepted standard of qualty 
that covers the necessary requirements. The chemists tell us that 
the hay is worth $7.50 a ton as a fertilizer, because at the market 
value of the nitrogen and other elements of plant food contained 
in a ton of this hay, these elements would cost us that much if we 
bought them in some other form. The chemist, however, fails to 
tell us how much more it is worth to the soil than its separate 
chemical elements would be, on account of its physical effects up- 
on the soil. For instance, if the same elements in their chemical 
state were applied on one plat of ground, and a ton of alfalfa hay 
on another of equal size, and both intimately mixed with the soil, 
the result would show largely in favor of the hay. 

The fact that corn belt feeders buy our hay at from $5.00 to 
$15.00 per ton and ship it hundreds of miles to feed with their 
corn and secure a profit, should indicate that for home con- 
sumption it is worth about $25.00 per ton, if it is well cured hay. 
That would make it practically equal in value to wheat bran, and 
if it is worth as much as wheat bran to feed, which is coming to be 
generalty conceded, we are growing from three to five tons of 
wheat bran per acre on our alfalfa soils every year, at a cost of 
about $2.50 per ton. Staggering figures, and true, only for the 
farmer who knows how to grow, care for, and feed this crop. 
Alone it is scarcely worth as much as timothy hay fed alone. Fed 
with grain, in proper proportion, one ton of alfalfa hay is easily 
worth as much as two tons of timothy hay regardless of how the 
timothy is used. When we sell our hay we present to the buyer, 
free of charge, $7.50 worth of fertility and about one-half the 
profit on the feeding value, all of which we may keep at home for 
our own benefit when we learn the full value of this wonderful 
crop. 

So then, to sum up the experience of feeders and the report of 
experiment stations, and my own observation, I should say that 
alfalfa hay may vary in feeding value according to quality of hay, 
and the manner in which it is fed, from $5.00 to $30,00 per ton. 
To illustrate - An animal given all the alfalfa hay it will eat and 
allowed no other feed, grass, rubbish or straw, will come through 
the winter in about equal condition with one allowed the run of 
weathered dead grass, straw, picked over stalk field, brush and 
such other refuse; while another animal, besides the alfalfa hay, 
allowed wheat straw, timothy hay or even saw dust, may show a 
decided gain; and yet another, allowed the alfalfa together with 
grain proportion, will thrive. In other words, certain portions 
of the animal's body is made up of th same element that are found 
in alfalfa, and other portions are made up of elements not found 

24 



in alfalfa in sufficient quanity, so that more of the plentiful element 
must be taken into the stomach that is needed, in order that 
sufficient of the rarer elements may be secured to keep the body 
complete. And all eaten that is not needed, passes through the 
alimentary canal and is wasted. Evidently then, in order to pre- 
vent waste, and secure the full value of alfalfa hay it is necessary 
to feed in connection with it, some other material, which, when 
combined with alfalfa, contains all the elements needed by the 
animal in the exact, or at least approximate proportion to the need 
of the animal. The feeder should consult experiment station re- 
ports on experiments conducted for this purpose. 

Growing Alfalfa Seed. 

It is a provision of nature and command of the Author of all 
life, to be fruitful and replenish the earth, and man was further 
commanded to subdue the earth and have dominion over every 
living thing. We are not only granted dominion over all living 
things but allowed to use the forces of nature in aiding us, and it 
is the forces and laws of nature that we must understand before 
we enjoy the full benefits of this great privilege. Some of the laws 
we understand, and we control some of the forces of nature to our 
advantage. We know that in order to multiply, animals need 
room for active motion and plenty of suitable food, as well as a 
degree of shelter from extremes of heat or cold. Also that plants 
need room in which to develop both above and below the ground, 
food in plenty for their full development, as well as unobstructed 
sunlight and air. Then in order to secure a full crop of alfalfa 
seed the plants should have first, suitable soil, and second, plenty 
of room. Most of the seed grown is a mere by-product of hay 
fields, which are often neglected until the owner discovers that 
the stage of development is past that for best hay, and it is left to 
go to seed if it will. Others, believing that there may be more 
profit in seed, have wasted many valuable crops of hay in the vain 
hope of obtaining a paying crop of seed, when conditions are all 
against them. Few have observed the requirements necessary 
before a reasonable assurance of a paying crop may be expected. 

Many years of experience and observation iead me to the 
conclusion that in order that a seed crop may be worth more than 
hay might be, it is necessary first, that the stand be not so 
thick as to prevent a fair development of branches. That growth 
be only moderately rank, and that all the plants should come into 
full bloom at the same time. Having these conditions, it is ad- 
visable to note whether seed is forming on the lower portions of 
the seed spike. If they are failing to set pods, and the bloom is 
falling off, it is not too late to cut for hay, and it will yet make 
good feed for horses. If the pods are showing in the first blooms 
which show signs of drying, and the weather is fair with only 

25 



sufficient moisture to keep up a moderate growth, the prospects 
are favorable. However, development should be noted daily, and 
at the first sign of failure, the crop should be cut for hay at once. 
If conditions remain favorable, the seed may be ready to cut with- 
in thirty days after the beginning of the blooming. Here close ob- 
servation and judgement are necessary, in order that it be not cut 
when too great a proportion of the seeds are yet green, or left so 
long for the last green pods to ripen that a large per cent of the 
seeds first ripening are shattered out. The seed hay should be raked 
while the dew is on in order to prevent waste from shattering. In 
fact, all the handling to the stack should be done if possible while 
soft. There is no danger of heating in the stack of a seed crop 
that is worth threshing, because there is at this stage little moist- 
ure in the plant, and the stems are too stiff to settle compactly. In 
threshing, use a machine made for the purpose, if you expect to 
get a fair share of the seed. The Birdsell is a good type. When you 
have your seed in the sacks, take time to figure whether you have 
really lost or gained, before you price it. With hay at a given 
figure per ton, and two crops lost outright, and the third crop 
diminished in weight on account of this seed, together with the 
extra expense of the thresher, you may be able, if you have four 
or five bushel per acre, to show a profit from growing seed instead 
of hay. This is the general experience. Most of the reports of 
great crops of seed are cases where the conditions just happened 
to be right. Growing seed on fields sown for hay has proved an 
uncertain business, and if the hay lost in the operation were 
charged up to the seed, as it should be, for a term of years, we 
should probably find we had suffered a marked loss. I have grown 
two crops of seed only, during my whole experience which cost me 
in hay and other expenses, less than $10.00 per bushel, and meas- 
ured by this standard, one crop of more than two bushels per acre 
cost me more than $20.00 per bushel. To be specific, hay was 
worth $16.00 per ton, and on account of letting this crop go to seed, 
I lost three tons of hay. The seed was poor and after threshing 
bill was paid, I netted about $12.00 for the seed. Experience and 
observation have led me to investigate on a small scale the "row" 
method of growing alfalfa for seed production, and while I am not 
prepared to say what the results might be if followed as a busi- 
ness proposition, I am convinced that in the near future our seed 
will be grown in rows, cultivated probably, by the same tools, and 
in the same way that we now cultivate our corn or other crops. 
Indeed, much land which is now considered not adapted to this 
crop, or land where alfalfa has proved unprofitable when sown 
broadcast, may prove by the row method and cultivation to be 
practically equal to what is now considered alfalfa land, not only 
for seed but for hay and pasture as well. The plant will be found 
capable of utilizing all the room below the ground and most above 

26 



ground in rows three feet apart, if properly cultivated. A Planet 
Junior garden seed drill, or some similar type, should serve for 
sowing the seed, which should he placed shallow, on the level, and 
not in listed furrows. A generous quantity of seed should be used 
as it may be thinned to some extent by cross harrowing before the 
plants are large. One or two pounds per acre should give a mat- 
ted row when six inches high. 

Baling. 

m In order that nothing of interest concerning alfalfa, with 
which I am familiar, may be omitted, I shall say a few words 
about baling the hay. Baling the crop that is to be fed on the 
farm, is usually, added labor and expense which is seldom justifia- 
ble. There are times, however, when it may be advisable. So 
then for home use, it is best usually, to bale from the stack or 
mow, after it is cured, and while it is yet soft, or during weather 
that would render it soft, so that all the leaves may be retained, 
and none of them reduced to powder, as often happens if this 
operation is performed while the hay is dry. It is usually not 
advisable to bale from the windrow, for the reason that if it is dry, 
much unavoidable waste of leaves occurs, and if it is not dry, it is 
very liable to mold in the bale. And for the further reason, that 
the bulk of a bale is too small for the best action in the curing 
process, as before described, and which should be recognized as 
the finishing process in manufacturing the best possible stock food 
of which alfalfa is susceptible. Many farmers will continue to 
grow this crop for sale, regardless ol the very evident fact, that in 
doing so, they are not reeping the full reward for the real value of 
their product. And yet others are so situated, or may at times 
become so situated, that to sell the hay is their only present oppor- 
tunity to realize on their investment and labor. To all such, the 
character and quality of hay commanding the highest market price 
is what is most important, regardless of its real value. And the 
demands of all markets are simple, in that all they want is that 
the hay be bright, green and dry. The markets have not yet 
learned the difference between merely dried hay, and the finished 
product, or cured hay. It is not advisable to market hay which 
has been baled from the swath, inside of ten days or two weeks, 
on account of the liability of arriving or soon becoming, hot and 
soft. Better place it in bulk first as closely as may be, and exclude 
the too free circulaation of air between the bales, until the heating 
and drying stage in the process of curing has progressed beyond 
the point where mold may occur. 

Cultivating. 

Under certain circumstances, it may be desirable to loosen the 
surface of the soil in old alfalfa fields where pasturing has render- 

27 



ed the surface too compact to absorb the rainfall freely, or to tear 
out wild grass which may become troublesome. Various methods 
and defferent tools are advocated to remedy these conditions. 
Tnere areobjectiDns to the disc in that if the soil is dry, many of 
the crows will be split or partly cut away, both of which often 
cause a decided loss of hay, until the plants have time to recover 
from the injury, if they ever do. The author is fully aware that 
some have used the disc for the purpose of splitting the crowns, in 
the vain hope and belief that they may thus thicken the stand. 
The reader is confidently advised that on soils suitable to this crop, 
plants one year old need not be nearer than twelve inches of one 
another, and that in the course of time the crowns of many will be 
inter-locked with their neighbors, if not tortured with tools such 
as discs, spike toothed harrows or the renovator. On soils subject 
to the encroachment of grass, these tools may be used to some 
advantage in the absence of a better remedy, also a new tool which 
has small hoe drill shaped plows that are swung so that they are 
free to move to the right or left and thus dodge the crowns of the 
alfalfa plants as they move forward. This tool may also be found 
desirable for loosening the surface of pastured fields with less 
damage to the plants than probably any other tool. 

The unobserving man, however, tortures his brain, devising 
means, and ways, and tools, and fine spun theories, for the benefit 
of his crop, often spending, uselessly, time, labor, and money, only 
to find that nature has amply provided for every contingency. 
Pasturing a field of alfalfa or any other forage crop so closely that 
it is bare, and the surface trampled hard is doing violence, not on- 
ly to the soil, but to the crop pastured; and nature at once sets 
about to correct the abuse by the use of plants adapted to such 
conditions; always selecting for that purpose varieties unsuitable 
for the animal, or, I might better say, the man, who is responsible 
for the wrong. Indeed the first appearance of weeds or grass in 
fields of alfalfa which have had time to become established, is, 
and should be accepted as evidence that some law of nature has 
not been observed; and any attempt by the use of tools to right 
the wrong is only prescribing for the symtoms, like a quack doctor. 
The intelligent farmer will search for the cause of these symtoms 
(weeds) and avoid unnecessary expense by correcting the faulty 
condition if possible; and if he cannot do so, he will abandon that 
crop, substituting some other, which is adapted to the conditions. 
If we have unavoidably abused our soil by pasturing until the sur- 
face is packed we may yet confidently depend on the forces of 
nature to correct the evil without the intervention of man-made 
tools. Insects, burrowing animals, growing vegetation, and the 
expansive forces of freezing during winter besides the action of 
microscopic plant life in the soil, will in a short time, correct the 
worst condition. Cultivation in midsummer for the purpose of 

28 



conserving moisture, or for faster absorption of rainfall, if it may 
be accomplished without undue injury to the crop, should be bene- 
ficial, but any cultivation during winter or early spring before all 
freezing weather is past invariably retards the maturing of the 
first crop. The reason for this should be evident to any observing 
mind. And yet, we are advised by so-called agricultural teachers, 
college professors, speakers, writers for our farm papers, and even 
alleged scientists, that cultivation and pulverization of the soil 
permits the freer circulation of air through the soil, and in the 
next breath, tell us that the same pulverization of the surface, 
conserves moisture, by excluding the too free circulation of air, 
wherein consistency is prominent by its absence. Some of them 
are magazine "back to the land" men, some "city flat dwellers for 
fair," some "sons of the soil second hand men" and all have "cal- 
louses made by a chair." This fault finding is not intended to con- 
vey the idea that these men are dangerous parasites, nor that they 
are useless. On the contrary, most of the useful knowledge that 
any of us possess, was handed us from past discoverers through 
these same writers, speakers, teachers and scientists. But in order 
that they truly teach us, we must first think for ourselves and 
prove, by actual application, the value of what they tell us. To err 
is human, and we all have our limitation; therefore, let us be char- 
itable, and explain to them that there is something wrong here. 
Let us say that the soil breathes literally, that at every varying 
pressure of the atmosphere the earth inhales or exhales air as truly 
as living animals, and when we go scratching across the face of it, 
we are likely to disfigure its nose, and obstruct its breathing organs 
so that much less air may pass back and forth. Moisture escapes 
through evaporation, and evaporation may occur beneath the sur- 
face of the soil as readily as at the surface, but it may not escape 
so readily. Cultivation prevents its escape to a degree. The con- 
trolling factor which governs the motion of the air and vapor in 
the soil, is the pressure of air that surrounds the earth. This 
pressure is invariably greatest on cool, still nights when frost or 
freezing occurs. During such weather the earth inhales much of 
the lower and colder strata, and at the same time radiates heat 
from the surface, materially lessening the severity of the cold. 

Now cultivating and pulverizing the surface not only obstructs 
the movement of the air and vapor in the soil but in the same de- 
gree the movement of heat. Less air and vapor and heat will pass 
into, or out of the surface of the soil if it has been disturbed, 
causing damage to all kinds of early vegetation. The observant 
reader has probably noticed this fact in the case of early garden 
truck. On cold nights cultivated plants are likely to suffer when 
those uncultivated may escape the frost. It is bad to lose a crop 
through neglect, but worse yet to lose it through misdirected 
effort. 

29 



Reseeding. 

Contrary to general advice, alfalfa, on suitable soil, may re- 
seed itself, or be re-seeded easily, if properly handled. If the 
stand is regular, it may be left to go to seed; then cut after a por- 
tion of the seeds have shattered from the pods. After the crop 
has been removed, the field should be disced lightly, and harrowed, 
and the new growth from the old plants kept closely clipped, until 
the new plants are well established. Under favorable conditions 
this should not take longer than thirty days, during July, August 
or September. If your alfalfa crowns do not spread until they are 
from four to ten inches across, in the course of three or four years, 
you may charge it to your soil, your seed, or else to the fact that 
your stand is unnecessarily thick. 

Plowing Under. 

Fields which have become infested with noxious weeds and 
grass should usually be plowed, and put to other crops. The best 
tool for this purpose is probably the common prairie sod plow, on 
which a lay made for one size larger plow is used, so that it may 
cut a wider furrow than is turned, being careful that the extra 
cutting is done on the furrow side, so that no roots escape un- 
crowned. In order that the crowns may not take root and grow 
again, it may be necessary to harrow the field over several times, 
at intervals. Plowing alfalfa to a depth of from two and one-half 
to three inches should kill it, unless the crowns have been buried 
by sediment from overflow,- or soil drifted by the wind, in which 
case, deeper plowing may be necessary to kill the plants. If 
plowed deeply, much difficulty may be experienced in preventing 
the crowns from taking root anew. 

Enemies of alfalfa. 

Included among the enemies of alfalfa, are animals, insects, 
and plants, together with a few diseases. Its animal enemies are 
pocket gophers, prairie dogs, rabbits and field mice, with possibly 
a few others, all of which however, are of minor importance. 
Though the gopher, if not checked, may prove at times, formidable. 
The very best remedy I know for gophers is the little brown wea- 
sel. A crystal of strychnine placed in Irish or sweet potatoes cut 
in small pieces and introduced, through openings made by a prod, 
into their runs, will usually get them. Poisoned raisins are also 
good. Although the pocket gopher deserves great credit for the 
immense amount of good he does by his industrious tunnelling and 
mixing of the soil, it is very exasperating to have to cut through 
his mounds or else leave a ragged scar on the face of what might 
otherwise be a smoothly mown field. Of the insects the web worm 
is a cause of great loss. It will no doubt prove necessary in order 

30 



to check this serious pest, to resort to poisons applied by the spray 
pump, if the worms attack the crop in its earlier stages of growth, 
and to the mower, promptly, if near ready to cut for hay. The 
same measures may destroy the army worm. Poison by spray, or 
bran mash or criddle mixture, the grasshoppers. Blister beetles 
may also be poisoned. The alfalfa weevil is a serious menace which 
many of us may have to combat in the near future. Pasturing in 
winter until the ground is naked is recommended, together with 
cleaning up all rubbish in and surrounding the fields. 

Among the plant enemies are dodder, fox tail, crabgrass, wild 
grass, and Russian thistle, of which dodder is the most feared. 
This is a parasite plant the seeds of which germinate in the soil as 
those of other plants; this is, however, the only direct use it 
makes of the soil. It sends forth a slender fleshy tentacle which, 
on coming in contact with living plants, promptly coils around 
them, sending roots or feeders into the body of the plant, sucking 
the life blood from its host, ever reaching for new victims in a con- 
stant widening circle. Burning where it grows is advised, as it is 
difficult to gather, on account of the liability of overlooking de- 
tached portions which, if they come in contact with the host plant, 
will promptly regain a hold and continue to grow. Dodder is easily 
recognized by its yellow color, and slender tendril like vines, which 
reach from plant to plant, and cross and recross each other, hold- 
ing in a mat the surrounding plants upon which it feeds. Dodder 
attacks only certain plants, and if it be forcibly torn from its host, 
it is entirely helpless and will die in the course of a few days, un- 
less it comes in contact with some other plant suitable for its 
needs. Hence, the old superstition prevalent when the writer was 
a callow youth, to the effect, that it held supernatural powers of 
life. How beautiful and untaught the faith of the youth, who 
wished to know without the ordeal of asking, if the object of his 
or her affection entertained the same regard to the hopeful smit- 
ten one. The tendrils being thrown over the head backward, the 
while a wish being repeated, and the spot being marked where the 
clinging yellow tendrils lit; then some days later upon revisiting 
the spot, finding the little vines living and growing beautifully, 
if they happened to light on a suitable host; or dead and dried up 
if they did not. The living plant was an answer in the affirmative 
causing the young heart to sing with gladness; or if dead, a mo- 
mentary regret, then a new object chosen for rejected affections. 
How our dear innocent hearts should have recoiled in horror, could 
we have known the sinister import, or revoltingly cruel char- 
acter of the beautiful plant we used with such artless credulity! 

Crabgrass may be discouraged by the application of limestone, 
or gypsum, which is another form of calcium. Tne effect of calci- 
um is to discourage the grass and improve the alfalfa, which is 
double progress. Foxtail is a serious menace where, for reasons 

31 



of unsuitable conditions, alfalfa fails to grow freely. The pres- 
ence of wild grass is also an indication of unfavorable conditions 
for the alfalfa to make a good growth, and is an attempt of nature 
to fill the vacant spaces with vegetation adapted to the condition. 
Obviously then, the remedy is to fit the conditions and soil to the 
needs of the alfalfa, and all our troubles in the shape of grass will 
promptly disappear. 

Alfalfa as a Honey Plant. 

There is no doubt of the importance of alfalfa as a honey 
plant, affording as it does a constant succession of fragrant flow- 
ers within which the bee may find the choicest of sweets from May 
to October in Oklahoma. Because of the fact that different fields 
are out at different times, some neglectful farmer being sure to let 
his crop stand too long for best hay, or some other field is being let 
go to seed, the busy little bee fairly revels in the sweets of the sea 
of purple blooms. Yet, however useful the plant has proved to the 
bee, there is lacking positive proof that the bee is not a thief, 
stealing the poorly guarded nectar without the compensating act 
of carrying pollen from flower to flower, as she is popularly sup- 
posed to do. The writer believes that she purposely dodges this 
beneficent act of cross fertilization. Certain hermit bees and the 
great bumble bee invariably spring the bloom. The embryo seed 
pod is enclosed by two leaves of the flower, which cup together as 
your two hands when placed together with fingers extended and 
which, when Hghtly touched anywhere at the points represented 
by the location of the ends of the fingers, spring open with start- 
ling suddenness, and this act of opening, releases the long finger 
shaped embryo which strikes the insect or object touching it with 
remarkable force for so small an object, at the same time scatter- 
ing a tiny cloud of pollen, like dust in the air and on the prowling 
insect. This finger-like organ crooks with a quickly curving mo- 
tion and often impales the intruding insect for a time, from which 
after it has secured the nectar at the base of the flower, it extri- 
cates itself with difficulty, and invariably comes out of the strug- 
gle well dusted over with pollen. 

The honey bee, and some other insects, seem to avoid this 
voilent treatment, by inserting their proboscis at points unguard- 
ed by this cunning provision of nature, and literally steal the 
sweets, thus refusing to give value received. There are times, 
however, when bees need pollen badly with which to feed their 
young, then they purposely spring the flowers carefully, rake the 
pollen grains dusted over their head and body together, place it in 
their baskets and carry it home. 

32 



Irrigation of Alfalfa. 

Much might be written on this interesting subject which could 
be of little value to the reader, because of widely varying charac- 
ter of soils and waters. Yet attention to details is fully as necessa- 
ry to insure success with this crop under irrigation, as elsewhere. 
First, we must have water suitable for the purpose, and of suffici- 
ent quantity. Impurities of various matter of mineral origin in 
solution, of which the sodium compounds in excess, are most un- 
desirable, often render an otherwise adequate supply of water 
unfit. So the first care is to learn the character of available water, 
its cost and quantity. Then the character of the soil for considera- 
ble depth must be known, so that water may be applied intelli- 
gently, and as needed, equally over and through the whole area. 
Having all necessary knowledge of the character of the soil and 
water at hand, we may proceed to other and yet more difficult 
problems, such as the amount to apply, which may vary materially 
on different soils and for different crops, climates and seasons. All 
cultivated crops, with a few exceptions, require more air in the 
soil than is found in water; therefore an excess of water in the soil 
retards, and , in the case of many plants, prevents growth. And 
in the case of alfalfa we find an excess of water much more speed- 
ily fatal than its entire absence. Proof of which may readily be had 
in regions where rain does not occur. For example, several years 
ago while on a visit in Delta County, Colorado, the writer's atten- 
tion was called to a field of thriftily growing alfalfa which, through 
a break in the ditch, had been left high and dry above any possible 
water for three years in succession. This field of about forty acres 
showed a straggling growth during the early part of the first sea- 
son, but soon became brown and bare, and remained so until the 
break was repaired. Everyone passing, the owner included, sup- 
posed the plants were all dead. So on the third spring, water was 
again turned on in order that the land might be plowed and seeded 
to some other crop. For some reason, the plowing was not at- 
tempted for a few days after the application of water, and when 
the owner did finally turn his attention to that field, he found a 
perfect stand of alfalfa, growing as freely as though it had not 
lain dormant for practically three years, during which no rain fell 
in sufficient quantity to start vegetation of any character. On in- 
vestigation, the writer found no reason for doubting the credibili- 
ty of a number of witnesses to the above statement. Indeed we 
see ample evidence of the ability of this plant to remain dormant 
through more than half the latter part of our long dry hot seasons 
of the South-west, during summers of short rainfall, and come 
through the experience apparently unimpaired, quickly clothing 
the earth in a welcome garb of green, after the first rainfall. 

The depth and character of the soil, should decide the amount 

33 



and frequency of application of water, where little or no rain 
occurs. Where rains are prevalent, less water is needed. Few 
conditions as to soil and climate call for more than one application 
for each crop, and many not more than one during the whole 
season. 

Life of Alfalfa 

Alfalfa like all other forms of vegetation has its limitations, 
and while it is a perennial, it may soon succumb before the trials 
of an unfriendly environment. Seeds that fall by the way side 
may soon be choked by thorn and bramble; those on shallow, stony 
soil may linger for a season, but others sown on fertile soil, may 
live to gladden the hearts of our children's children. There are 
fields in the United States which have survived with apparently 
undiminished vitality the vicissitudes of more than thirty seasons. 
In Mexico, according to well authenticated authorities, is one field 
more than eighty years old. And in the high altitudes of the 
Chilean mountains, it is said to have grown and thrived without 
renewing for full two hundred years. With each recurring season 
it springs anew, one of the first plants to clothe the awakening 
earth in living green; in the month of roses its blossems overflow 
our fields like a purple sea, and after successive crops of hay of 
untold value, or seed of all but immortal life and honey fit nectar 
for the gods, it modestly retires for a period of rest within the 
kindly bosom of Mother Earth confidently awaiting a resurrection 
to a future life more full of promise to man and treasure to the 
soil. It is a fit harbinger of the springtime of our youth, glorious 
example of the strength of our manhood, prophetic evidence of the 
hand of God. 

And now the author of this book has performed his mission 
and feels a glow of pride in being able, though a farmer unused to 
leaving the hoe for the pen, to place before inquiring minds in 
simple language the results of more than half a century of study, 
work and investigation. 



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